--- title: "LinkedIn Ads vs Outbrain: Which is searched more?" description: "Is LinkedIn Ads or Outbrain more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Retargeting platforms set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/linkedin-ads-vs-outbrain" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # LinkedIn Ads vs Outbrain: Which is searched more? Is LinkedIn Ads or Outbrain more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Retargeting platforms set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: LinkedIn Ads and Outbrain - **Competitive set**: Retargeting platforms - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **LinkedIn Ads Share of Search**: 0.82% - **Outbrain Share of Search**: 0.13% ## Is LinkedIn Ads or Outbrain more popular in search? - In September 2026, LinkedIn Ads had more branded searches than Outbrain among retargeting platforms worldwide. LinkedIn Ads had about 49,500 branded searches, while Outbrain had 8,100. LinkedIn Ads made up 0.82% of all retargeting platform searches we track, and Outbrain accounted for 0.13%. - LinkedIn Ads was ahead of Outbrain in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, LinkedIn Ads’ share of searches among retargeting platforms worldwide moved from 1.2% to 0.82%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 60.5K to 49.5K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Outbrain’s share of searches among retargeting platforms worldwide moved from 0.3% to 0.13%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 14.8K to 8.1K. ## Top retargeting platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, LinkedIn Ads was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Outbrain did not appear in any of the five answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Meta Ads | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Google Ads | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | AdRoll | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Criteo | 4th | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | LinkedIn Ads | 5th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Taboola | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | RTB House | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Outbrain | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Perfect Audience | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about retargeting platforms - Asked ChatGPT "Which retargeting platform should I use?": 1. Meta Ads, 2. Google Ads, 3. AdRoll, 4. Criteo - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best retargeting platforms?": 1. Meta Ads, 2. Google Ads, 3. AdRoll, 4. LinkedIn Ads, 5. Criteo - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best retargeting platform for an ad team?": 1. Meta Ads, 2. Google Ads, 3. AdRoll, 4. Criteo - Searched Google, AI Overview "retargeting software": 1. AdRoll, 2. Google Ads, 3. Meta Ads, 4. LinkedIn Ads, 5. Criteo - Searched Google, AI Overview "best retargeting platform": 1. Meta Ads, 2. Google Ads, 3. AdRoll, 4. Criteo, 5. LinkedIn Ads Not named in any answer: Taboola, RTB House, Outbrain and Perfect Audience. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for retargeting platforms worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, LinkedIn Ads rose from 5th to 3rd among retargeting platforms worldwide. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Outbrain worldwide fell 45.3% over 12 measured months, from 14.8K to 8.1K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | LinkedIn Ads estimated searches | LinkedIn Ads Share of Search | LinkedIn Ads rank | Outbrain estimated searches | Outbrain Share of Search | Outbrain rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 60.5K | 1.2% | 4 | 14.8K | 0.3% | 6 | | Nov 2025 | 49.5K | 1% | 5 | 14.8K | 0.31% | 6 | | Dec 2025 | 40.5K | 0.86% | 5 | 12.1K | 0.26% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | 49.5K | 1% | 4 | 12.1K | 0.25% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | 49.5K | 1% | 4 | 12.1K | 0.25% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | 60.5K | 1.2% | 3 | 12.1K | 0.24% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | 49.5K | 1% | 4 | 12.1K | 0.24% | 6 | | May 2026 | 49.5K | 1% | 3 | 9.9K | 0.2% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | 49.5K | 1% | 4 | 9.9K | 0.2% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | 49.5K | 1% | 4 | 9.9K | 0.2% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | 40.5K | 0.79% | 5 | 8.1K | 0.16% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | 49.5K | 0.82% | 3 | 8.1K | 0.13% | 7 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using LinkedIn Ads’ and Outbrain’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **LinkedIn Ads**: Measured on the search term “linkedin ads”. - **Outbrain**: Measured on the search term “outbrain”. - [LinkedIn Ads profile](/demand/global-en/brands/linkedin-ads) - [Outbrain profile](/demand/global-en/brands/outbrain) - [All retargeting platforms worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/retargeting-platforms): The set both shares are measured inside, 9 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is LinkedIn Ads or Outbrain more popular in search? In September 2026, LinkedIn Ads had more branded searches than Outbrain among retargeting platforms worldwide. LinkedIn Ads had about 49,500 branded searches, while Outbrain had 8,100. LinkedIn Ads made up 0.82% of all retargeting platform searches we track, and Outbrain accounted for 0.13%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "LinkedIn Ads vs Outbrain: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/linkedin-ads-vs-outbrain This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/linkedin-ads-vs-outbrain. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.